A new poll shows a majority of Australians support making voluntary euthanasia legal for someone experiencing unrelievable and incurable suffering.

A targeted online survey of more than 1,400 people conducted by the Australia Institute revealed more than 70 per cent believe euthanasia should be permissible.

A total of 17 per cent said they did not know, while 12 per cent were opposed to the idea.

Despite this, multiple attempts to legalise voluntary euthanasia and assisted suicide in recent years have all failed.

Australia Institute executive director Richard Denniss said the numbers supporting legalised euthanasia were down from 75 per cent last year.

He said the biggest drop in support was mostly among young people.

"It's fallen a little bit across the board and interestingly fallen a little bit more amongst young people," he told The World Today.

"The 'don't knows' are a little higher amongst young people, so if anything that in fact reflects the lack of public debate we've had about this issue."

However, Mr Denniss added there was a high percentage of respondents who supported voluntary euthanasia for those with dementia.

"We've added a question this year and this is for support for voluntary euthanasia when someone is experiencing dementia - dementia that is so bad they can no longer recognise a family member," he said.

"Support for that is even higher than support for voluntary euthanasia under the proviso the person had said in advance, 'if I ever become that demented, then that's what I'd want'.

"So around 77 per cent of people support that and I think that's very interesting."

Doctor's role

Dr Christopher Middleton, chairman of the Tasmanian branch of the Australian Medical Association, believes legalising euthanasia would compromise the doctor's role as a healer.

"I think it would completely change the mindset and the ethos of medicine in Australia because in their practice, in training, doctors tend to see themselves as agents of hope and healing and comfort, and certainly not as agents of death," he said.

"If patients aren't able to be confident that preserving their life is uppermost in the minds of the medical attendants, then they are going to be really much more uncomfortable at seeking medical attention when they are unwell."

At the moment I dread the thought of being in the hands of the medical people and only being given symptom relief, which sometimes doesn't work.

Cath Ringwood, who suffers from aggressive leukaemia

But euthanasia supporter Cath Ringwood, who suffers from aggressive leukaemia and is in remission from breast cancer, believes the choice to end her life should be hers alone.

"I am very afraid of the end stages of either the breast cancer that I have or the leukaemia," she told The World Today.

"I am frightened of the possible pain and suffering that I am going to endure.

"If I had the means to end my own life in a peaceful way, my journey right now through these diseases, my battle would be so much easier.

"I would feel that I had the ability to say 'no more' and it would actually strengthen my ability to fight on.

"At the moment I dread the thought of being in the hands of the medical people and only being given symptom relief, which sometimes doesn't work."

Lindy Willmott, professor of law at the Queensland University of Technology, said weighing up individuals' rights and the safety of the community is something governments have to consider.

"There is evidence that the instances in which doctors kill people without their express request has in fact decreased in the Netherlands since 2002 when the legislation was introduced," she said.

"The other thing to mention... one thing that's come out of these statistics in Oregon is that about 30 per cent of the people who get the prescription which allow them to end their lives, don't actually use that prescription.

"They just want it there just in case the pain can't be controlled and their situation has got to the stage they want out."

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